According to Moore’s law, the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. In other words, the processors’ speed double every two years. Judging from the law and consumers trend, it should be normal to upgrade your system every two years.

But, is it necessary to upgrade your system every two years?

If we measure the capability of the computers we use in this age, most computers can handle our daily computing pretty fast. Do you think you’ll need an i5 or i7 processors chip to watch YouTube videos, do your school projects, or play Farmville? How many times have you heard someone, if not yourself, complaining how slow their computers are?

The computing process consists of the interaction and combination of software, hardware, and human. Achieving the best result requires these three things to perform at their best. However, most people only pay attention to two of them which are software and hardware.

Give the best desktop computer to an ignorant user. Without enough knowledge, he’ll install all the crap he finds, run 10 apps at once, mess up the system startup items, scream for help, and complain about the slow performance of his powerful desktop computer. Not even the best software can help him, unless software controls the computer in his place.

Give an average desktop computer to a smart user. He’ll know which software works, configure optimal settings, use the computer resources efficiently, and execute tasks within the ability of the hardware itself. He knows what he can do with this device, thus not complaining when the device doesn’t do what he wants.

Perhaps I’m being subjective by not considering many external factors here. The problem is I know some users who don’t bother to learn what they use every day. Formatting your computer doesn’t solve your problems. You might be busy, but if computing is part of your job or daily activity, I think it’s necessary to gain knowledge about it.

To bring out the best of the computing experience, the users themselves need to upgrade their knowledge. It’s not enough to upgrade the system alone. To upgrade the system, you need money. Gaining knowledge doesn’t require as much money as upgrading the system.

It doesn’t apply solely to computing. Cars, tools, gadgets, and everything you use can be more effective if you try to learn more about it. Perhaps what you need is a little effort to study and learn about your system.

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